The owner of Mediterranean Deli & Catering, 410 W. Franklin St., recently more than doubled the size of his restaurant, and within the last month opened a bakery within the new space.

"I always wanted to have a bakery here," said Kadouras, his excitement visible behind his grin. His dream has come true, and now patrons get to experience what he has been missing since leaving Jerusalem over 30 years ago.

It took over eight weeks for the various baking machines to make their way from Israel by ship, but now his staff is putting out 1,000 pitas a day. Kadouras stresses that he is making the pitas in the traditional fashion - no mass production where one machine does it all.

Weaver Street Market plans to start selling his pitas in the next week or so.

You can buy a pack of four pitas for $1.99 - but freeze them if you don't eat them within a day, Kadouras warns. They have no additives or preservatives, true to his childhood memory of the soft, warm yeasty bread that is a Middle Eastern staple.

Kadouras, 49, says he would not have taken this project on without having access to the authentic, organic, Kosher, unbleached wheat flour he now buys from Lindley Mills - a grain mill in Graham that predates the Revolutionary War. The current owner is the ninth generation from that original family, and Kadouras felt a connection with the mill immediately.

"This is part of my country," he said of the pitas. He feels he gets to celebrate his culture with each one.

The menu now includes special Middle Eastern stuffed breads called fatayer - gondola-shaped flattened pitas that are filled with meat, cheese and vegetables. He also makes lahm-bi-ajeen, an Arabic specialty that means, literally, meat and bread, which resembles a small pizza.

The rest of his menu is full of Greek, Lebanese, Israeli, Italian, and other fare from around the Mediterranean. The creamy homemade hummus is perfect with the fresh, warm pitas. It's one of Kadouras' favorite pairings.

Food happenings

Today, Carrboro celebrates its first ever vegetarian chili cook-off at Johnny's, 901 W. Main St. Locals will decide the winner during the tasting from 4 to 6 p.m. The event features live music and puppet entertainment and is free, but there's a $5 suggested donation. You can thank Internationalist Books and Community Center for what is sure to be a new Carrboro tradition.

Elaine's on Franklin is celebrating its 10th anniversary with 10 special dinners, four of which are this month. Dinners include a wine pairing with guest sommelier Craig Heffley of Durham's Wine Authorities on Saturday, Nov. 7, as well as a St. Martin's Day celebration dinner on Nov. 11 with traditional Austrian game paired with wines. Call Elaine's at 960-2770 to make reservations or view other special meals.

Carolina Brewery, the Triangle's oldest brewery, recently signed a distribution deal with Harris Inc. that will bring is craft beers to Harris Teeters stores throughout the Triangle. The deal also brings their brew to more bars, restaurants and retail joints, so be on the lookout. Harris is focusing on the Sky Blue Golden Ale, Flagship IPA and Copperline Amber Ale, as well as a few seasonal beers.

For those of you interested in learning more about cooking with underutilized cuts of meat from rare breeds, the nonprofit American Livestock Breeds Conservancy of Pittsboro is teaming up with Herons in the Umstead Hotel and Spa for a special clinic, "The Lost Art of Last Cuts." Herons Executive Chef Scott Crawford will work with Chef Bret Jennings of Elaine's on Franklin to lead the clinic Nov. 13, where folks will have an opportunity to sample some of America's rarest domesticated breeds and learn how to reduce waste while delighting the palate. Registration is $125 and includes the cooking demo and a three-course seated lunch. Visit www.albc-usa.org to register or call 542-5704.